State forms panel to study Banjara demand of reservation in ST category

The Banjaras, who currently enjoy a reservation of 3% under the Vimukta Jati or nomadic tribes category, have been pushing for inclusion in the ST category

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has formed a six-member study committee helmed by retired high court judge M L Tahaliyani to examine whether the Banjara community can be included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category for reservation in education and jobs. An order to this effect was issued by the state tribal development department on Saturday.

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The Banjaras, who currently enjoy a reservation of 3% under the Vimukta Jati or nomadic tribes category, have been pushing for inclusion in the ST category, which will increase their reservation to 7%. The demand was raised soon after the state government accepted the Hyderabad Gazette as a valid document to prove the Kunbi credentials of the Maratha community and grant them benefits under the Other Backward Classes quota.

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Maharashtra’s Banjaras claim that the same Hyderabad Gazette considers them STs, and that states such as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have already included them in the ST category. The Banjara community is limited to the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions and parts of western and northern Maharashtra, but is a significant vote bank in those pockets.

The decision to form a study group was taken following an assurance from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to the community’s representatives on November 4, 2025. The assurance was given following a series of protests, including an indefinite hunger strike and cases of suicide by members of the community.

“A six-member committee is being constituted under the chairmanship of a retired High Court judge to study and submit a report examining the demand for inclusion of the Banjara community, along with its sub-groups, in the Scheduled Tribes category,” the government order states.

The other members of the study group are anthropologist Dr C J Sonowal, sociologist Dr Shailesh Kumar Darokar, legal expert Adv Nitin Gangal and specialist researcher Dr Sandipan Gavhale while the joint director of the Tribal Research and Training Institute in Pune is the member secretary. The group has been asked to submit a report in the next three months.

Interestingly, the Dhangar community too has been demanding inclusion in the ST category for the last several years. There have been several protests to support its demand in the past. At present, the community is part of the Nomadic Tribes category, under which it gets reservation of up to 3.5% in government jobs and education. Inclusion in the ST category will increase its reservation quota to 7%.